Abstract
A total of 657 sputum samples from 201 cystic fibrosis adult patients were collected during a 24-month period (2005–2006). We retrospectively analyzed the fungal colonization of the respiratory tract of these individuals by linking medical records and microbiological data. Filamentous fungi were isolated from specimens of 65.6% of the patients, with Aspergillus fumigatus being the predominant species recovered as it was found in specimens of 56.7% of the patients. We observed no difference for gender, pancreatic status and cirrhosis in patients with or without A. fumigatus colonization. We found a higher percentage of recovery of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and nontuberculous mycobacteria in patients with A. fumigatus colonization. During the follow-up period of the study, 8.9% of the patients were diagnosed with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). By a multivariate analysis we demonstrated that Scedosporium apiospermum was significantly associated with ABPA (Odds ratio = 13 [2–80]) as opposed to A. fumigatus (Odds ratio = 1.58 [0.49–5.05]).
Acknowledgements
We thank Thierry Ancelle for his assistance in statistical analysis of our results. We thank Gordon Langsley for editing the English.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.